Colorado moved up a few spots on a long-running national survey of healthy states, climbing to 9th in the United States after ranking 13th last year.
Colorado gets a boost from relatively lower levels of obesity, a better air pollution record, and low rates of diabetes, which is often influenced by obesity.
As the survey and other recent reports have noted, however, Colorado’s overweight rates may not provide a lot of bragging points in the Rocky Mountains. Despite leading the nation in fitness, more than 20 percent of Coloradans are still considered obese in national rankings.
The listings, by insurance giant United Health’s foundation and the American Public Health Association, provide just a snapshot, but include many factors in judging a population’s fitness. Last year, the report hit Colorado for falling behind other states in its rates of childhood vaccinations, a key health indicator.
The full report is at .
Michael Booth: 303-954-1686 or mbooth@denverpost.com; Twitter: @mboothdp
